Heel-stiffener.



M. BROCK.

HEEL STIFFENER,

APPLICATION FILI-1Dv SEPT. 3 1913.

l l 99 1 B 9 y Patented June 1, 1915.

Mpx/5555.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFCE.

MATTHIAS BROCK, OF BOSTON', 'MASSACHUSETTS kASSIGNOIIR. TO UNITED SI-IOEMACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATTERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

HEEL-STIEFENER.

Patented June 1, 1915.

Application filed September 3, 1913. Serial No. 787,874.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHmszBnoCK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State oflvlassachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Heel-Stilfeners,of which the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the Ldrawingsindicating like parts in the several igures.

This invention relates to boots and shoes, and particularly to the formor construction of one of the constituent parts of a shoe used in themanu-facture thereof and known as a heel stiilener or counter.

An object of the invention is to provide a heel stillener blank whichmay be used as a straight stiffcner in assembling the shoe or may befirst molded in any suitable heel shape desired, and which will be soformed as to facilitate in either case the lasting operation so that thestilfcner may be properly positioned with relation to other parts of theshoe with but little eort on the part of the operator and withoutdistorting the stiffener materially from any particular shape with whichit may be impressed.

In assembling upon a lastthe different parts of a shoe including a heelstiifener, a tack is driven through the upper and stiffener into theinnersole at the extreme rear end of the shoe bottom, and another tackis driven through the shoe materials into the last at the rear end faceof the yshoe so as.

to fix the relation of these portions of the materials to the height ofthe last. Nothing,

however, is done until a later stage in the' manufacture of the shoe' toHX the position of the stiflener wings, and it is usually found afterthe pulling over operation that these wings have been depressed and thatit is necessary to pull them up into proper relation to the lastbottompreparatory to the heel seat lasting operation. One reason forthis condition is that the heel end face of the present day last isvertically curved and the sides of the last are shaped to cause the shoeto hug closely the ball of the heel of the wearers foot, particularly inthe case of an Oxford shoe, and manipulation of the marginal edge of theupper in the assembling and pulling over operations tends to cause theupper and the stiflener to hug the rear end face of the last moreespecially at that portion adjacent to the heel seat, as

ppinted out, for example, in U. S. Patent 800,881 granted to EmeryBayard June 4,

1907. rrlhere is atendeney, therefore, for i enough to pull them up asrequired. The

operation generally involves the use of hand pincers which itisnecessary to pick up for this purpose; and aside from the time andtrouble incident to this procedure it is found that in the case of amolded stiffener having a flange shaped to overlie the heel seat the useof pincers tends to bend the flange and distort the stiffener from itstrue shape so that' the shoe materials will not fit the last as closelyas desired. f

An important feature of this invention residcs'in the provision in aheel stilfener blank of means suitably located to assist in positioningthe sti'tfener and to facilitate the pulling yup, as required, of thestiilencr wings.

In the preferred embodiment of-the invention the blank is formed at thewing portions with extensions suitably located to project withinconvenient reach of the operator 'when it is necessary to pull up thewings.

The preferred embodiment comprises a straight blank which may beconformed as desired to the shape of the last in the assembling andlasting operations, or may be previously molded to give it the desiredshape, and the wing extensions are so located that for either mode oftreatment of the stiifener they will project in suitable position toprovide the operator with convenient means whereby to pull'up the wingswithout dilieulty and without the liability of distorting the stillienerfromits proper shape.

The invention will be understood more readily by reference to theaccompanying dra wings', in which- Figure l` is a view of a preferredform of heel stilleuer blank embodying the invention, and Figs. l and flare cross sections of the blank takenl respectively on lines22 and 3-3of Fig. 1, these ligures being relatively arranged upon the sheet ofdrawings to indicate the extentof projection ofthe kwing extensionsabove adjacent'portions' of the blank.

The blank as a whole is designated by the numeral 2, and is shown as' astraight stiii'ener which may be used in that form in the assembling ofthe shoe or may be molded in some," suitable heel shape lprior to theassembling operation.' The upper portion of the blame-asv viewed in Fig.l, is that portion which will be located at or adjacent to the bottom ofthe assembled shoe, and it will be understood lthat the two opposite endportions of the blank constitute the wingsof the stifi'ener which willextend forwardly toward the shank. The; upper portion of the blank, asshown in Fig. 1, presents an edge of irregular contour, includingavportion 4 comparatively regular in shape and of a length to extendforwardly from` the rear of the heel on both sides substantially Lto thebreast line of the heel.

In the blank shown the edge 4 is somewhatT curved to accommodate thestiffener to a*l form of last in which the general 'contour lof the rearend face of the heel in the direction of the height of the last issomewhat inclined forwardly with respect to the longitudinal axis ofthelast, the object being to bring all parts of the bottom portion of thestiiener in such relation to the bottom ofV the last as to provide laAflange of substantially uniform width to overlie the last bottomrearwardly from theheel breast location. For lasts of different shapesthe contour of the edgel portion 4 would vary corj respondingly, and the`present invention is f not limited to any particular shape` of this lportion of the stiii'ener edge.

At the ends of the edge portionl 4 the stiener edge is offset to provideextensionsv 6, these extensions in the preferred .embodiment shownrunning from the ends of the edge 4to the ends of the 'blank. vThesemain v fpulling-'up-members which will project in portions 6 aresufficiently extended from the body portion ,of the blank to providesuitable position `to be grasped readily by the operator when 'thestiifener wings become depressed vte/ith respect to the last bottom.Itwill be seenf that these extensions l,are so located that they mayproject farther inwardly over the insole in the assembled shoe than themain portion of the e iiange at the stiffeneredge when this flange isshaped to lie fiat upon the heel seat and adjacent portions of theinsole. This feature is clearly illustrated vin Fig. 1 in which 'thedotted line rshows where-the stiifenery will preferably be bent to vformthe flange. When the blank is molded before it is assembled in a shoethese extensions, if shaped to lie in thel same plane as the ange, willthus act as reinforcing members to assist, s v by contact withtheinsole, in preventing they stiiiener ,wings from being depressed. lnthe case of such a molded stiiiener, moreover, these -extensions willstill serve their main purpose of providing pulling up members which maybe grasped if the wings are depressed so thatit would otherwise bedilicult to bring the stiifener to its proper position.

The face of the stiffener blank in the'preferred embodiment shown isskived, as usual, atv its upper edge as the blank is l viewed in Fig. l,and it will be seen by referring to Figs. 2 andy 3 that the skivingoperation 1s particularly effective upon the extensions 6, reducingthethickness of these members materially in comparison with adjacentportions of the stifener. This leaves the main flange portionvof thestiiener more firm and durable than it` otherwise would be, and at thesame time renders the extensions more flexible to the grasp of, the

operator, so that where pincers are used in lperforming the pulling upoperation any bending in the case of a molded counter will takev placeprincipally at these comparatively iexible portions, and the main .por--tion of the stifener flange will not be ini jurcd or distortedmateriallyfrom its true shape. l l

It will be understood that the form and likewise thelengthvand breadthof the extensions 6 may be suitably varied as necessity or choice maydictate, and such variations are comprehended within the scope of theinvention. Y

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters -Patent of the United States is:

1.l A heel stiifener blank adapted to be assembled in a shoe as astraight stiener or to vbe molded into suitable heel shape prior toassembling in a shoe and having, on the edge which is to overlie thesole in the shoe',- extensions running from the shank ends backwardly ashort distance' to constitute ulling up members to be engaged forpulling up the stiffener ends in the lasting operation.

2. A heelstiffener blank adapted to be as-'f sembled in a shoe as astraight stifienersfpr' toward the ends of the stiener to constitute j,pulling up members to be engaged for pulling up the stifener ends in thelasting operation.

3. A heel stiifener blank adapted' to be assembled in a -shoe as@ astraight stiifener or Y to be. molded into suitable heel shape prior,vtoy assembling in a shoe and having an extension -from one edgeconstituting a pulling bythe laster forpulling up the stiffener endduring the -heellasting operation. v v

4f. Aheel stilfener. blankfadapted to be assembled in a shoe vas astraight stifener or to be molded into suitable-heel shape prior toassembling in a shoe'and having that edge portion which is-to be locatedat the bottom of the shoe of suitable contour to provide for forming arelatively narrow flange to overlie the edges of the insole at thecurved portion of the heel seat and a flange of greater width to extendfrom said narrow portion forwardly into the shank of the shoe.

5. A heel stifener blank adapted to be assembled in a shoe as a straightstiiener or to be molded into suitable heel shape prior to assembling ina shoe and having that edge portion which is to be located at the bottomof 'the shoev ot vsuitable contour L' i provide, forv forming a flangeof substantially'nniform width overlying the edges of the heel seat,and' extensions near the ends of the stii'ener located to project fromthe edge of said flange in the assembled shoe and formed to'providepulling up members vwhereby* the wings of the stiener, may be "broughtto proper position in the lasting operation without distorting V,theshape of the flange portion ofthe stifener.

6. A heel stiifener blank adapted to be as-v sembled in a shoe as astraight -stiffener or to be molded into suitable heel shape-prior toassembling in a shoe and having, on the.

edge whichy is to overlie the insole in the shoe, extensions runningfrom the shank ends backwardly a short distance to consti'- Vtutepulling up members to be engaged for pulling up the stiii'ener ends Vinthe lastin operation, said extensions being skived o to render them moreflexible than the adjacent portions of the stiiener.

In testimony whereof I'have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

MATTHIAS BROCK. Witnesses: Y

HOWARD O. WINsLow, A ARTHUR L. RUSSELL.

Lto

